Guangdong Mental Health Center, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
J Affect Disord. 2023 Oct 15;339:145-152. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2023.07.030. Epub 2023 Jul 10.
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of both Internet addiction and suicide across various populations, especially among children and adolescents. This study aimed to assess the inter-relationships between Internet addiction symptoms and suicidality among primary and secondary school students from the perspective of network analysis.
This was a cross-sectional, multicenter study. The Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was used to assess internet addiction symptoms. Participants were also asked about having any suicidal ideation and suicide plan. Univariate analyses and network analysis were subsequently conducted.
Altogether, 5380 primary and secondary school students participated in the study. Among them, 3161 (58.8 %, 95 % CI = 57.4 %-60.1 %) students reported having Internet addiction symptoms and 798 (14.8 %, 95 % CI = 13.9 %-15.8 %) reported having suicidal ideation or suicide plan in the past two weeks. Network analysis revealed that IAT16 ('Request an extension for longer time spent online'; node strength = 1.223) was the most central symptom in the Suicidality-Internet addiction network model, while the edge suicidality-IAT4 ('Form new relationship with online users'; edge weight = 0.055) was the strongest edge linking both communities.
Internet addiction symptoms were common among primary and secondary school students during the COVID-19 school closure period in China and were significantly associated with suicidality. Targeted strategies such as strengthening self-control, sense of belonging and connectedness may be important in reducing the risk of both suicidality and Internet addiction among primary and secondary school students.
新冠疫情大流行增加了不同人群（尤其是儿童和青少年）的网络成瘾和自杀风险。本研究旨在从网络分析的角度评估中小学生网络成瘾症状与自杀意念之间的关系。
这是一项横断面、多中心研究。采用网络成瘾测试（IAT）评估网络成瘾症状。同时询问参与者是否有任何自杀意念和自杀计划。随后进行单变量分析和网络分析。
共有 5380 名中小学生参与了这项研究。其中，3161 名（58.8%，95%可信区间为 57.4%-60.1%）学生报告有网络成瘾症状，798 名（14.8%，95%可信区间为 13.9%-15.8%）报告在过去两周内有自杀意念或自杀计划。网络分析显示，IAT16（“请求延长上网时间”；节点强度=1.223）是自杀意念-网络成瘾网络模型中最重要的中心症状，而边缘自杀意念-IAT4（“与在线用户建立新关系”；边缘权重=0.055）是连接两个社区的最强边缘。
在中国新冠疫情学校关闭期间，中小学生网络成瘾症状较为普遍，与自杀意念显著相关。针对自我控制、归属感和联系感的强化等策略可能对降低中小学生自杀意念和网络成瘾风险很重要。
